If you're in the process of dealing with a dismissal or suspension from a college or university in Kansas, you're probably unsure of what to do next. Many people facing dismissal are afraid that their academic careers have come to an end. Your whole purpose for going to college is to help yourself create an amazing life in the career of your choice. A dismissal or suspension could ruin all of those dreams.
Don't give up. There may be solutions that you're not even aware of that can help you get out of the situation. Retain the services of national academic attorney-advisor Joseph Lento and the team at the Lento Law Firm. Call 888-535-3686 to find out more information about how they could possibly help you.
Challenging Academic Progress Dismissal
There are roughly 54 private colleges and universities in Kansas, and there are over 31 public ones. There are also many two-year colleges, technical schools, and other institutions of higher learning. Students who attend any of these schools and universities usually receive federal loans to help pay for their tuition. One caveat for receiving a federal loan is that students need to maintain satisfactory academic progress in the schools that they're enrolled. Satisfactory academic progress, called SAP, usually means that a student must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0.
Private colleges like Barclay College, public universities like Kansas State, and community colleges like Allen Community College have institutional and federal policies that make it clear what could happen to a student if they fail to make satisfactory academic progress.
Due to federal laws and schools' own internal policies, students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress will not be able to receive federal loans. Students from all types of schools across Kansas receive federal loans. If those are taken away, many of them will no longer be able to attend. Federal law prohibits schools from even extending loans to students who don't meet the requirements.
When a student fails to meet the required threshold, schools have several routes they can take. They can allow the student to take the class again, they can put the student on academic probation, and they can ask the student to leave. Allen Community College has an Academic Renewal Policy that gives students a chance to return to the school and improve their GPAs, allowing them to have a fresh start.
The problem is that Kansas colleges and universities don't always act fairly when it comes to issuing sanctions against their students. There are many different reasons that a student may not have been able to successfully maintain a passing grade point average. Some of them may have been dealing with health issues that affected their ability to study. Others may have family members who are dealing with health issues. Some of them may be struggling to pay for school even in the presence of loans. There are many reasons that someone could be struggling, and in a fair world, universities would consider each case on a case-by-case basis.
Unfortunately, schools don't always do this, and they end up dismissing students who should have been given alternative options.
If you're in danger of being dismissed from your Kansas university or college, or if you've already been dismissed, don't panic. Although this situation is stressful, there may be alternative solutions. Retain the services of national academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the experts at the Lento Law Firm. They have years of experience battling these types of issues for their clients, and they'll do everything they can to help you reclaim your life.
Challenging Misconduct Dismissal or Discipline
Getting bad grades in school is not the only reason that a student could be asked to leave universities. They could also be dismissed because of academic misconduct or other types of misconduct.
Schools have a responsibility to make their campuses safe and fair places of learning for all of their students. Title IX is a federal law that was created in the 1970s to battle sexual discrimination on US campuses. Colleges and universities in Kansas use federal laws like Title IX, similar state laws, and their own internal policies to help ensure that students are able to remain safe on campuses while learning in fair and equitable environments.
If allegations are brought against the student at a Kansas school, and the school fails to act, the school could be put into a tricky situation where they could end up being liable. To avoid this, most Kansas colleges and universities act swiftly to resolve any accusations of misconduct on their campuses.
While, in theory, this is a great idea, the execution causes serious issues. Schools are not always fair when it comes to dismissals and their students. They may not thoroughly investigate the alleged misconduct, and the accused student ends up losing. Students who find themselves in these situations often try to figure things out themselves, but they lack the skills and experience to do so. When they enter the misconduct hearings, they often end up losing because they don't know how to properly present themselves in the best light.
In some cases, the allegations against the student could have been totally false. In other cases, someone may have misunderstood or misinterpreted what they saw. In some cases, punishment simply doesn't fit the “crime.” Whatever the reason, the accused students end up losing everything because they didn't have a proper defense.
You don't have to go through this alone. Joseph Lento and the experts at the Lento Law Firm have had many years of experience defending students in your situation. They have seen it all before, so they know what questions to ask, what proof needs to be provided, and anything else that needs to be collected to help you get the best resolution possible.
The Consequences of Discipline or Dismissal
If you think you can easily and quickly get over being dismissed from your Kansas college or university, you'll be in for a shock. It can be extremely difficult to restart your life after being dismissed from school.
- Trying to get into a new school while having a black mark on your record can be extremely difficult. You'll be competing against people who have clean academic records, making your battle so much harder. If you were dismissed for academic misconduct, your integrity could come into question. If you were dismissed for failure to satisfactorily advance in your program, the schools you're applying to could wonder whether you'd even be up for the challenge. Either way, you'd lose before you started.
- You would have to start from zero. Any progress that you had made prior to your dismissal would be wiped away. None of the credits that you completed would be transferable. This could be devastating, especially if you were well into your program.
- If you've already graduated and the school subsequently makes a misconduct ruling against you, the school could actually revoke your degree, shattering your accomplishments.
Appealing School Discipline or SAP Dismissal
If you've already been dismissed by your college or university in Kansas, you may be thinking that the situation is completely hopeless. This is not true at all, but you need to take action now.
As mentioned above, being dismissed or severely sanctioned by your Kansas college or university could have devastating consequences on your entire future. You need to fight as hard as you can to make sure that you have the opportunity to complete your degree and move on with your life. Even if you've already been dismissed from your school, there are always other options.
By working with national academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento, you have the best chance of overturning a dismissal, preventing one from happening, and reducing the consequences of sanctions. Joseph Lento and his team at the Lento Law Firm have worked for years defending students against these types of actions. They have very strong relationships with school attorneys in the general counsel offices of many colleges and universities. This puts them in a unique position to be able to discuss and negotiate alternative options for relief.
They also work with outside firms that have been hired by universities. Don't just pick someone who's local to the area. Joseph Lento and his team have national experience, and they know the ins and outs of academic defense across the nation. You need someone in your corner who has the experience and the connections to give you the best possible outcome for your situation.
Retain a National Academic Attorney-Advisor
It's not too late, even if you've already been dismissed by your Kansas college or university. Reach out to Joseph D. Lento and experts at the Lento Law Firm so that you can start the road to recovering your good name and moving towards the great life you've always dreamed of.
Reach out to attorney-advisor Joseph Lento and his team at the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 to take back your future.
